188 fires in 1789 ( 940 inhabitants) - Montchamp the Big
Representatives: Jacques Guillaume James, notary, Jean Touroude.

1620 Ha - 523 Inhabitants - 32 in Km2 ( 1990 ) - 521 in 1999

Situation 1865
Surface: on 1620 ha 19 has 16 ca
Population: 937 inhabitants
Taxes: 7.558,14 Frcs
Mayor: Oblin
Priest: Danguy
Schoolteacher: Nicolle
Schoolteacher: Jean-Louis


Situation 2001 :
Voters: 363
Mayor: G. Faucon
Councillors: Oblin, Fasbien, Hodemond, Jamet, Lebidois, Lepainteur, Autret, Trouverie, Marie, Lepainteur, Leconte, Chenel, Berthout.
Secretary: Fossard
Municipal bulletin

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Municipality among which the name seems to result from its wet ground, was called Mouscans in 1120, Muscampis in 1157, Moschamps in 1202.
Before 1789, Montchamp who understood St Charles de Percy extended over 2281 hectares and belonged to the sergenterie of Le Tourneur, the mastery and the election of Vire. On March 1-st, 1790, it was connected with Bény-Bocage's canton and afterward with Vassy's canton as from the 6 brumaire the Year X. In 1704, it counted 1200 inhabitants, 20 noble persons and 7 monks, who were distributed on more than 50 villages.

Montchamp's name appears in 1066, Roger de Montchampe vassal of the family of the Tilly accompanied Guillaume the Conqueror and received from big domains in the counties of Lincoln and from York.

His small son Thomas involved with the plot of the threads of Henry II against their father in 1192 had his seized possessions. Brought in in favours under Jean without earth him married Maud de Vescy girl of lord of Aldwich, descendant of Yves de Vassy. His small son Robert was the biggest baron of the North of England, died by leaving only girls from whom goes down Villoughby's lords.

In the 12éme century, Montchamp belonged to three Lords: of Presles, the Mayenne and Tilly, wood belonged to King.
In 1450 the parish was a part of the sergenterie of Le Tourneur and owed 60 days of watch to the castle of Vire.

As in many municipalities of Normandy, there was a lazaret to Montchamp, where were isolated the patients reached by the leprosy, the disease returned by East by the Crusaders. She was in the crossing of the road of Beaulieu to Presles and the road of the Bridge of Mesnil in the Chapel in the Horned (called in 1742 road of Villedieu to Aunay).
In 1599 this lazaret, not having any more than a single patient who declared to have received " the leprosy in inheritance ", was closed, and his scattered possessions.

The separation of Montchamp's territory followed by few the halving parishes. At the request of Charles de Percy, and in spite of the hostility of certain inhabitants, April 9, 1782, council of state of king ordered the division of Montchamp.

According to the description of A. de Caumont of 1850, in the church dedicated to Saint Martin is noted some clothes of 1739 and 1767, grey marble baptismal fonts. In the bell tower, a bell wearing the registration " The year 1776 I was blessed by Jean Duval cleaned out by this place and named by Master Charles François Mary de Percy only Lord and honorary boss of Montchamp and Anne Françoise Thérèse Grassin his wife Lord and lady of Suilly Magny , Presles, Forgues... Jean Baptiste de Roquais cleaned out by Montchamp. Melted again at the cost of the municipality. Tithes were perceived by the prior of the Desert representing Troarn's abbey following a donation makes by Raoul de Presles, Gautier de Mayenne, Eude de Tilly and Hubert de Montchamp. This church has a legend : his place was foreseen on the right-hand side of the Ribée. The foundations were dug, and walls began to go up, regrettably what was built during the day was destroyed the night, in spite of nurses' surveillance. One morning a mason of fury threw his hammer on the stone ready to put, but the tool remained suspended in the air, crossing the brook of a line to fall to the current place of the church. One lives the divine will there and the building was brought up to this place.

In 1700, both priests were Joseph Passais and Michel Boyvin who got only 300 livres of income each paid by the prior of the Desert who received all the tithes of the 1200 inhabitants, 7 monks and 20 noble persons.
During the revolution, November 1-st, 1792, municipal officers were the only ones of the canton to refuse that the objects of gold and silver of their church are seized for the benefit of the state. In spite of their refusal of February 6, 1793, 2 bells on 3 were removed.
June 6, 1794, inventory of the closed church indicated 2 chalices, patènes 2, 1 ciborium and a rear quarter panel weighing the set : 11 marcs, 3 ounces. Crosses and copper candlesticks weighed 76 livres. Ornaments were numerous, silk, with stripes of silver. There was nothing in 1802 in the reopening of the church.

Pierre Thouroude who had bought the church, the presbytery and the cemetery was paid off after the allocation of these possessions in the flat of the schoolteacher on November 20, 1796.

In 1803, there were some problems among the inhabitants of Montchamp and the bishop of Bayeux about the priest named by the bishop. Mgr. Brault lives obliged to make a radical decision, on August 3, 1803 he took the following prescription :
Us, bishop of Bayeux, grounds that the inhabitants of Montchamp the Big would have gone to guilty excesses against the priest whom we loaded to go among them to exercise the functions of the holy ministry as serving. Considering that the means the most appropriate to remedy these sorts of confusions is to make it stop the cause or the excuse. Let us have to stop seeking the prefect of this department the order to make close the church of this municipality we transferred Montchamp's parochial office the Big to Montchamp the Small... He needed the intervention of the Minister to restore the peace.

There is a cave dedicated to Our Lady, copy of the cave of Heavy, built in 1904 on the initiative of the abbot Hamon and inaugurated in 1908, with a local pélerinage on August 15.

Genealogist and historian of the main noble families of Normandy, except his, Gilles André de la Roque would have been born to Montchamp in 1598, died in Paris and buried in the convent of the Cordeliers in 1686. He dedicated itself mainly to the history of Harcourt's family.


Mayors from 1792 till 2001 (years of taking office - municipal bulletin 12/2001) T Leroquais on 1792 - J.B. Cornu on 1801 - Mr Bosquet 1808 - T. Mérille 1816 - N. 1818 Diavet - J.L. Tourgis on 1830 - C. 1832 Diavet - J.L. Tourgis on 1852 - N. Oblin on 1852 - J. 1865 Buot - J. 1878 Dupont - H. Halley 1884 - G. Léonard 1886 - H. Léonard 1894 - E. Surville 1922 - Morel on 1930 - J. Surville 1947 - L. James 1957 - R. Morel on 1971 - G. Faucon 2001



Associations :
Club of the 3-rd Age President: Mrs DUPRE
War veterans President: Mr LEBIDOIS
Society of Hunting President: Mr CHANU
Events committee Président: Mr ANDRIN

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As in many parishes the inhabitants had some visions :
The village of bouillères had the peculiarity in its sheepfolds and cowsheds to count in the evening an animal furthermore than the exact number, the next day in fields the account was exact. Wanting to give a feast the owner seizes his best ewe in the evening. From carried the mortal blow the ewe was transformed into wounded man who lost his blood in abundance...
In the village of the Pit, every night at about the same hour one saw an animal which could be a big wolf, a big dog with long hairs or a bear who came to harass always the same guard dog, what made roar all the dogs of the neighborhood. To free of it, it was necessary to make bless a ball, hurt he pushed an immense shout and disappeared definitively..
. In Fainière, it was the sprite whom one called Danié, it was usually joyful, resembling at the same moment in the cat and in the squirrel, and met in fields sat on a sheaf during the harvest. It was not harmful, it was enough to say to him " range' té danié qué jé pass " so that it obeys. It was not necessary to manhandle him(it) otherwise it(he) you rouait of knocks, if you had a harness it stopped net and it was necessary to wait in the supplicant that it lets you restart...

Monument to the memory of the victims of the Nazis and their co-workers Inaugurated June 7, 1953 by the Gal de Gaulle.
The inhabitants of Montchamp shot in Caen bodies of which were never found

04/2002